Winter Chill 2 Unanswered Mysteries
by Larisha
Summary: Malik has come down with a fever and Ryou has to stay home with him. But then several questions, which probably should have been left unanswered, comes to light. Will Ryou and Malik's love survive? MalikxRyou and Yami MalikxBakura.see profile for warnings


Authoress notes: Hah. Ryou's actually not British. I knew that for a long time. But I still call him a Briton because I'm used to it.

**Winter Chill 2- Unanswered mystery**

Ryou found it hard to believe that his and Malik's anniversary was approaching so fast. It seems time flies when you're having fun.

The Briton sighed, snapping out of his thoughts as he heard shuffling behind him. His brown eyes turned to a figure in his bed.

The figure was his lover, Malik. Malik was panting for breath, his tanned skin doused with sweat from a fever of 100.2. Ryou had called into school absent to watch his sick lover and take care of him. Besides, Christmas break started tomorrow anyway.

Ryou's slender, well curved legs carried him to the edge of the bed, where he sat down next to Malik. The Egyptian opened his eyes, blinking a few times.

"R-Ryou?" The stutter in his silky voice was undeniable, but Ryou knew it was only because he didn't feel well.

"Yes, Malik? Feeling any better, love?"

Ryou leaned in over the heaving chest of the Egyptian, kissing Malik lightly before sitting back up.

Malik didn't reply, but merely shivered as the Briton's cold hands were placed on the heated skin of his shoulders as they kissed.

"No…" The Egyptian teen trailed off, closing his eyes once more.

"I'm so tired… so tired on my birthday…even…"

Suddenly Ryou's eyes widened in shock.

"It's your birthday? Why didn't you tell me!" He cried, taken back by the Egyptian's disability to tell him when his birthday was.

Malik frowned, staring down at his pillow.

"I'm sorry…"

Ryou's surprised and somewhat angry look immediately disappeared as he looked into his lover's sad lavender eyes. One of the Briton's cool, pale hands stroked Malik's cheek slightly.

"I… I shouldn't have yelled. I'm the one who's sorry." His brown eyes stared down into his lap, observing the way too large blue shirt that was the only thing that covered him. Ryou's white bangs fell over his eyes, shadowing them from Malik's gaze.

A silence fell between the two lovers. Ryou's mind began to wander away from the apartment, into his thoughts.

It had now been almost 3 or 4 months since Yami had left that fall, along with Yami Bakura. Yugi still hadn't recovered. The spiky haired, once almost hyperactive teen was reduced to sitting in his room, alone. He hardly spoke to anyone anymore, and despite various efforts to try and make him forget and be like he once was, it was useless. He would just shoo them away, telling them he was fine with a not very reassuring look. Ryou had been sad for a long time because of the abnormally short teen, causing Malik to be angry with Yugi.

Fortunately Ryou kept Malik away from Yugi. With the fever Malik had now, he definitely wouldn't be going anywhere.

Suddenly the Briton felt the covers move, and as he turned around, he saw that Malik had turned away from him, his breathing still ragged.

Ryou sighed, then kissed Malik lightly again.

"Malik…Why did you want to kill Yami?"

Malik's eyes widened in fear; he knew that Ryou would ask eventually.

Ryou's friends had learned Malik's past from his sister, but Ryou had been unconscious at the time because his Yami forced him into a duel against Pharaoh, and was attacked by Saint Dragon Osiris (Slifer).

The Egyptian remained silent. He knew that if he told Ryou, Ryou would be scared of him. Malik didn't want that.

"I …" His paler than normal lips parted as he tried to speak, but the words deserted him. Malik's lavender eyes turned to Ryou, whose head was tilted slightly to the side in confusion, a confused look on his face.

"I thought he killed my father."

Finally Malik had spit it out. Ryou's eyes went wide in shock.

"Why…why would he do that?"

The Egyptian stared down at the bed, his eyes clouding in pain.

"He did more. My family was forced to live underground because of him; to protect his grave and memory. The scars..." Malik gestured to his back, "…are proof."

Ryou's eyes had gone even wider, amazingly. The brown depths were full of shock, and surprisingly he looked paler than normal.

"The Tomb Keeper's initiation caused me to develop a split personality, like your own. But without me, he didn't exist. He was nothing more than my emotions with a conscience."

Malik finished the grim tale, his arms straining against the bed to put him in a sitting position. Ryou didn't move or react.

The Egyptian leaned forward, touching his nose to Ryou's awkwardly.

"Ryou?"

Ryou remained silent a few minutes, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. Finally the Briton blurted out.

"How could you think that? Yami Yugi was so…nice!" He cried, drawing away from Malik.

Malik frowned deeply, looking down for the third time in 30 minutes.

"I didn't know that. By the time I figured that out, it was too late. My darker half had already taken over and was slowly killing him already."

Ryou's eyes finally went back to their normal size; watching the pain reflecting from Malik's lavender eyes had told most of the story. The Egyptian was staring at the wall in regret, pain and sadness.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked, or been so rude." Ryou looked down at his lap, just as Malik was looking down as well.

Malik didn't reply as he lay back down. His breathing had either improved, or he didn't care whether or not he got enough air. Ryou's eyes watered a little, slapping himself mentally, and repeatedly._ How could I have been so stupid?_ He whimpered a little, then crawled up next to his silent lover and looked at him. Malik didn't react when he heard the whimper. Usually he would have whirled and killed whoever had caused Ryou make the pitiful noise, but not this time._ Have I hurt him permanently? _Ryou wondered.

"Malik, are you ok?"

Malik's pained eyes looked over his shoulder at Ryou.

"Hmm? I'm fine. I know I shouldn't miss him, since he was so…"

The Egyptian trailed off. The Briton knew he was choking back a sob.

"…but I do."

Malik seemingly couldn't, or at least wouldn't, say what he meant by that, and Ryou wasn't going to push it.

"Why shouldn't you miss your father? He was family." Ryou looked at him, his eyes not showing confusion. He hoped Malik had picked up the hint that he didn't want to know why.

But Malik didn't pick up the hint. Instead his eyes began to water as he choked out,

"He…"

Malik finally let out the sob he had tried to hold back, collapsing into his pillow.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Ryou looked down at his lap.

"I didn't want you to. I'm sorry… this must be a nice birthday." He frowned, looking down and shutting his eyes.

The only thing that greeted him was silence. Ryou remained silent respectively, getting up and walking towards the door. Finally his whisper broke the silence.

"I'm going to the store. I'll be back."

But before Ryou even turned the doorknob, he heard Malik cry out.

"No! Please, don't leave!"

The Briton turned to his distressed lover in surprise. Had he heard panic in his voice?

"Malik, I'll be right back. It's not like I'm-"But he was cut off by the Egyptian's next cry of dismay.

"No! Don't! I won't let you go!" Before Ryou knew it he was being advanced upon by his suddenly aggressive lover. The hurt in Malik's eyes had disappeared, and there was emotion there, but Ryou couldn't make out what he saw.

Suddenly he heard a loud snarl from the Egyptian, causing him to shiver. The panic had turned to anger.

"You aren't leaving."

Ryou stared at him in disbelief. He had not just been told to stay.

"Malik, this is ridiculous! Why are you being so aggressive?" He shouted, backing away further as his lover got to his feet and began staggering towards him. Ryou was lucky; Malik was weakened and slowed by his fever. He knew that he wasn't safe here for the time being. Without thinking, Ryou ran out the door, slamming it in Malik's face as he dashed down the steps, towards the park.

**Inside Ryou's apartment**

Malik stood there disbelieving at the door, still snarling.

"He won't come back. They never do." The Egyptian muttered under his breath, his eyes watering as he walked back over to Ryou's bed and collapsed.

**Back to Ryou's story**

Ryou ran towards the park as fast as he could, afraid Malik would follow him. The Briton's brown eyes were watering in disbelief that Malik had tried to control him in such a way, and then even threatened him.

Finally he reached the park and the tree where they often sat together after Ryou got home from school, cuddling and sleeping on each other's shoulders.

But now Ryou wondered if they would ever cuddle again. How could he go back? After all, he could actually call the cops and turn Malik in for abuse. But he knew he couldn't do that, it would tear both of them in two.

Ryou whimpered, sliding down into a sitting position. Suddenly he heard a deep, gravelly voice come from behind him.

"Malik in his usual tantrums again?"

Ryou was so surprised he gave a loud cry, leapt to his feet and whirled around to see almost his mirror image. The only few differences were this one was much more sinister looking, with sharper eyes and pointier hair.

"Y-Yami? I thought you died!" Ryou cried, taking a few steps back. Then he noticed the looming figure behind him. It stepped forward, a boney, tan hand coming to the front of Bakura's hips and rubbing slightly. This cause the white haired yami to lean back into the other Yami's wiry frame, making a strange sound that reminded Ryou of a cat laying in its masters lap as it was stroked, purring.

Ryou blushed deeply, looking down at the ground until Bakura stopped purring, at which time the Briton looked up to see them in a position as though they had never moved.

"Oh he was dead. But I would have become bored without someone to fuck after awhile." The second voice was horribly familiar. At first Ryou thought it was Malik talking, right until the voice suddenly warped and sounded almost like the sound of death itself.

Behind Bakura stood Yami Malik, the hand placed on Bakura's hips slipping up to his neck. Bakura snarled at the other yami viciously, telling him without even speaking he wanted to be alone. Yami Malik snarled as well, but heeded Bakura's wish and backed into the shadows.

"Heh. Such a uke, yet he tries to play seme." Bakura glared at the figure sitting at the bottom of a nearby tree.

"So, Malik is being his usual pissy self, I take it?"

Ryou frowned and looked down at the ground.

"I thought you were dead…"

Bakura let out a cackle, and then looked at Ryou again, a wild glint gleaming in his eyes, his canines shimmering in the pale street light.

"More like you hoped I was dead, dear hikari." He took a step forward, slender, pale fingers lifting Ryou's chin so his face looked at the smaller's face.

Ryou's wide, round eyes looked up into Bakura's dark, narrowed and menacing ones. Ryou began to tell the story to Bakura, feeling the piercing eyes strike straight to his heart, as though he would die if he didn't tell him.

"Malik told his past to me, but I blurted out and hurt his feelings. Then I was going to leave and get him a birthday cake since it is his birthday…" The hikari trailed off as he saw a knowing look pass through the yami's eyes; apparently someone already knew it was his birthday.

"Then he became aggressive and threatened me if I left. But I was so scared… I ran away."

"And into us." Bakura gestured over his shoulder at Yami Malik, whose eyes were closed in slumber.

"Yes… Where do you live, now that you are back?"

Ryou's yami smirked, and then let his fingers drift away from Ryou's chin.

"Here."

Ryou gasped in surprise.

"You live in the park? Why don't you find an apartment and start a new life?"

Bakura's smirk didn't decrease any as he shrugged.

"And why should I start over? Maybe I don't want an apartment. Maybe I hate whatever the hell those metallic things are."

"Doorknobs?"

"Yes. Those. What are their purposes? To confuse tomb robbers like I?" Bakura suddenly shouted, one of his hands curling into a fist as a druggie walked by faster, casting nervous glances at the insane white haired yami.

Yami Malik opened a questioning eye at his psychotic lover as Ryou slapped his forehead.

"Um…Yami?"

"What?"

"What should I do about Malik?"

"Take us to him."

Ryou gasped, flinching backwards.

"Are you crazy? He would go nuts!"

Bakura put his hands on his hips and growled.

"Fine, then. Put up with the bitch on your own, then."

"No! Wait! Fine, I admit it. Please help!" Ryou cried, and then frowned in defeat as Yami Bakura smirked triumphantly.

"That's more like it. Lead us."

Ryou sighed, then turned and walked towards his apartment. He could hear the two yami's bickering like an old married couple in snarls behind him, and then squeaked as he felt one of them leaning on him, rubbing his head and lips against Ryou's neck.

"Bakura always did say you had smooth skin." The warped voice whispered into his ear, then let out a gurgled a cry of distress as afore mentioned tomb robber hissed viciously and pulled him away from his hikari. After that Ryou made it a point to walk considerably faster than he did before.

Finally the two yami's and the hikari reached apartment number 601. The key slid into its key hole, causing the door to open. But instead of walking in like he usually did, Ryou tentatively peaked inside, looking around.

"Malik? Are you ok? Can we come in?"

Hearing no reply, Ryou slowly walked in, the two yami's following him silently.

"Malik…?"

The room was dark, but Ryou could hear someone's heavy breathing. Reaching for the light switch, darkness became twilight as he turned the light up a little.

Twilight was all he needed to know something was wrong. Malik was lying on the bed, almost motionless, gasping for breath as he had been earlier.

"Oh no! Malik! You're fever must have gotten worse!" Ryou cried, dashing to the kitchen and grabbing the bottle of fever medicine. Naturally he poured the right amount, rushing back to Malik's side with the thermometer in the hand that wasn't holding the medicine.

Setting the thermometer down, he flipped Malik over to where he was laying on his back. Bakura had sat down next to him, with Yami Malik leaning on his back.

"You're sure that's what's wrong?"

Ryou turned to the tomb robber.

"He has had that fever for a while now."

Bakura nodded solemnly.

Ryou gently tipped Malik's mouth open, pouring the grape flavored medicine down the Egyptian's neck and stroked it, causing him to swallow.

"Oh Malik…why didn't you take care of your self better?" Ryou whispered, leaning down to press a small kiss on his lips and lay down next to him.

Bakura made a deep crooning noise in his neck, causing the small Briton to look up at them.

Yami Malik was licking at Bakura's pale neck; Bakura leaned his head on Yami Malik's, closing his eyes half way sleepily.

"You two can stay here if you want." Ryou whispered up at the two yamis.

The Briton then lay down next to the seemingly unconscious Malik.

"Oh Malik… I guess the stress made your fever worse…"

Suddenly there was a beeping noise from the thermometer. Ryou's shaky hands picked the metal tube from the Egyptian's mouth, and read the temperature aloud.

"102.3…"

"What are you babbling about?"

Ryou looked from the thermometer to the white haired spirit that had growled at him just a few seconds ago.

"Its Malik's temperature. That's really bad, Bakura. What should we do?"

Bakura had a clueless look on his face.

"How the hell should I know?"

Ryou sighed and looked down hopelessly.

"Should we call the doctors?"

"N-…no..."

The Briton gasped in shock as he looked down at the owner of the voice.

It was Malik.

"Malik? Are you ok!"

Ryou cried out, one of his hands falling to Malik's.

His lover scowled up at him, then turned his eyes to Bakura and Yami Marik, obviously demanding an answer.

"Is it ok if the stay with us for awhile? They have nowhere else to go." Ryou tried to plead with Malik, only to receive an angry snarl in reply.

"Hell no! Do you have any idea what HE…."The furious hikari gestured over his shoulder at Yami Marik," has done to me? He was the one who killed my father, who nearly killed me…and you! HE nearly killed you too! He nearly killed everyone!" Malik began to ramble on, his words like a furious grip on the small of the two hikaris. Had he triggered this madness?

Then Malik did something Ryou never thought he would hear.

"And you brought him here! If you hadn't had left, this wouldn't have happened! You definitely aren't going out without me for a long time!"

It was there Ryou snapped, and he did something Malik thought he would never feel.

The back of Ryou's pale hand slapped across the Egyptian's face almost as soon as the words had left his mouth.

"You don't control me!" Ryou cried, angry as well. Yami Malik and Bakura made an "Oooo"ing sound.

But almost as suddenly as the anger at caused the Briton to snap, he was calm again.

Finally he stopped seeing red and saw Malik sitting in front of him, staring at the floor.

Ryou blinked at him, troubled.

"Malik? Are you ok?"

Malik looked up at him, a dark glimmer in his eyes. Yami Malik and Bakura got up and slinked over to Ryou's feet, sitting down. The Egyptian snorted then got up and staggered to the restroom. Inside the Briton could hear him turning the water on to take a shower.

"Please be careful, Bakura." He whispered, then walked over to the Bathroom door and shakily opened it. He heard the warped voice of Yami Marik shouting from the room behind him as Ryou shut the door,

"What? You tell him to be careful, and not me?"

As the white haired male went into the bathroom, immediately he felt the intense humidity of the cool home air hitting the scalding hot shower water. A sweet scent blocked out any other smells that might have been in the room, and Ryou recognized it as Malik. How Malik smelled almost like a cross between honey and cinnamon Malik only knew.

Ryou turned away from the door, looking into the bathtub for any signs of the blond Egyptian. As he got closer to the bathtub the scent became more than a waver on the air, it blocked out most of Ryou's senses. Sure enough, lying in the bottom of the tub, Malik was stretched out comfortably, the hot water sliding down Malik's chest.

The Egyptian had his hands to either side of his head, and his legs were spread slightly. One foot was flat on the floor so that his knee was bent. The other leg was stretched out. His eyes were closed in sleep, or at least seemingly.

Ryou shifted uncomfortably, not knowing how Malik would react to his presence. But the larger of the two hikaris remained silent, until finally Ryou timidly raised his voice.

"Malik? I'm sorry I slapped you. But I don't want you to control me."

Finally lavender eyes opened and look up at brown eyes.

"I don't want you to leave. You won't come back. They never do, once I tell them."

Ryou gave him a sympathetic look, before taking a few steps back and undressing. Then he gently sat down next to Malik.

"Who doesn't come back? I'm not going to leave."

"They all say that. Then they left."

Ryou could see this wasn't getting anywhere. He gently wrapped his pale arms around Malik's tanned body and pulled him into his lap, stroking the blonde's hair soothingly. "Malik…really. I'm not going to go. Give me one reason why I would."

His Egyptian shifted a little, cuddling closer to Ryou's wet chest.

"Because you hate me for hating your friend."

"But I just said I didn't hate you, Malik. I think thinking someone killed your father is good reason to try and kill someone, not that I would try myself, or that it was a good choice, but you weren't very stable."

Malik looked up at Ryou, and then hid his head in Ryou's (practically non-existent) stomach.

"…. Why?"

Ryou looked down with a bewildered look.

"Why what, Malik?"

"I don't understand why everyone left me…"

Ryou was only more disturbed as the tan male's hands gripped onto his own shoulders, bringing himself face to face with Ryou. There was an angry, frightened look in his eyes.

"They left, Ryou. I didn't come here, they left me. Today, a year ago."

Suddenly he knew what Malik was talking about. They were his siblings.

Rishid and Isis had left him in Domino City.

"Wh-what? Malik, why would they do that?" Ryou cried, shaking his head disbelievingly.

"Malik, the way we fought earlier must have done something. Surely they didn't leave you!"

Malik stared down at Ryou's hips, where one of his hands rested.

"They did. That day, when we left Domino…"

_**Flashback**_

Isis Ishtar stood next to the ship her and her brothers would soon depart on, the cool, sea breeze causing her long, sleek jet black hair to blow out behind her like a lion's mane in the wind swept Sahara. Her deep, dark ocean blue eyes stared out at the horizon, where eventually their destination, Egypt, the place of their ancestors, lay. Her eyes held a deep worry behind them, and she was troubled.

Malik came up behind her, and then hugged his blood sister.

"It's so good to see you again without trying to kill you." He chuckled well humouredly, but there was a sad loneliness held in his voice as though he was leaving something very precious behind in Domino City.

Isis sighed in acknowledgement, still staring out across the sea. She had heard the loneliness in his voice.

"You are leaving something here, aren't you?"

Malik's eyes widened in shock, and another cool breeze flowed off of the sea, stirring his hair and causing his sister's off white dress to ripple slightly.

"I really wanted to get to know that one guy, Ryou, I think was his name. But I'd rather go with you!"

Isis' eyes changed drastically. Now they held a look of regret and knowing, as though she knew what he was going through.

"I won't let you go. Go to Ryou and get to know him better."

"But what if it doesn't work out?"

Isis stepped aboard the ship, and then pulled the ramp connecting the ship to the pier. The ship began to pull away.

"No! Sister, come back!" Malik cried, chasing the path of the ship along the concrete as best as he could.

Suddenly he heard the cool, calming voice of his sister drift across the sea.

"It will work out. Good-bye, brother."

"Sister!" Malik screamed as the boat disappeared into the horizon, his deep voice echoing hollowly, tears running down his sun caressed cheeks.

_**Back to the Present time**_

"They left me there, to fend for myself. I wandered around the streets, wondering where you lived, all those long months, until at last I spotted you that cold, winter day. But by that point, I was so weak. Most of the time you spent in your home I spent climbing the stairs. Finally my legs gave out in front of your door, and I was sure I was going to die as I went unconscious. But I woke up, covered by your blankets, in your bed, with you nearby."

Ryou frowned unhappily, hugging Malik closer. The water was boiling hot, but he didn't notice.

"Malik…I'm so sorry."

"That's why I didn't want you to leave me. I didn't want to live in the streets, homeless and moneyless again, barely making it without starving. But most of all, I didn't want to lose _you_."

Ryou's sympathy for the unfortunate Egyptian was somehow greater than before, and was now boundless. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to his lover's warm, silky lips. Finally a few seconds later they reluctantly pulled apart.

"I'm not going to leave you, Mal."

"Mal?"

"Yep! It's your new nickname! Happy Birthday!"

Ryou chirped at 'Mal' happily, while Malik stared at him like he was mad. Suddenly a mischievous idea popped into his head.

"Does that mean I can call you Ry?"

"Sure! Now we know we can't be separated."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Couples that have nicknames for each other are official couples!"

"I didn't know that." Malik sighed, looking up at Ryou curiously.

"You aren't kidding me, are you?"

"Of course not! Would I do that to you?"

"Honestly, yes you would."

Ryou burst out laughing, until he reached up and pulled a sponge and body wash from the rack of bathing stuff above them. He squirted a little of the purple liquid onto the sponge, and began to clean Malik thoroughly.

"Ryou! That tickles! Stop it!" The Egyptian cried out, wiggling around helplessly.

But the Briton didn't stop. He put one had on Malik's chest, holding him down as the sponge scrubbed his ticklish yet rock hard abs and stomach.

"No! I said stop!" Malik screamed, until finally Ryou stopped and left the Egyptian panting for breath. As Malik was recovering from the tickle attack, his British lover reached over to the temperature controls for the water and turned it on icy cold.

Ryou giggled as Malik twisted and squirmed, uncomfortable in the cold water.

"R-Ryou! The water's too cold!" He screamed, curling into a ball to protect his sensitive areas from the flowing ice.

But Ryou's Egyptian lover wasn't going to escape that easily. Ryou slipped his boney but slender fingers between Malik's legs, pulling it into the icy water.

"Ryou!" Malik shrieked in agitation, pulling away from the Briton's hands and curling up in his lap, snarling as if daring Ryou to do it again.

But Ryou just smiled at him fondly, stroking the Egyptian's wet hair.

"I love you Malik." He whispered in the tan one's ear gently, the fingers that were stroking down his hair now slipping downward.

"I love you too Ryou." Came the deep reply. But before Ryou even had the chance to fight for dominance, or even knew what was happening, he felt the stinging pain between his legs that meant there was no use fighting now.

Malik smirked, pushing himself to a position near Ryou's limp body, the last high pitched squeak fading out of the Briton's voice.

The Egyptian then admired his unconscious lover for a few minutes, before slipping his arms under the light body of the smaller hikari and picking him up.

His voice was merely a murmur of love to Ryou, heard by no one but himself as he dried the frail body off, clothed him and set him gently on their bed in the other room.

Bakura and Yami Marik were tangled up in a mess of limbs at the foot of the bed, one undistinguishable from the other even though their skin color was pretty much totally different.

Malik slipped into bed next to Ryou, cuddling close to him. The warm, fuzzy white blankets of the bed covered the two lovers, both of which were asleep within 5 minutes.

Near the foot of the bed, Bakura stirred slightly to look at the two. His half-asleep brain not comprehending what was happening, he fell asleep again.

Early morning light shone through the blue curtains that covered the windows, the rays piercing the darkness like a gleam of love in the cruelest person's eyes.

The light shone around the room, disturbing its inhabitants. The first to wake because of the light was a bewildered Briton.

Ryou sat up, rubbing his eyes. Was it morning already? He didn't remember going to bed. What happened? All of these questions went through his head, until a twinge from between his legs brought a blush to his pale face as realization hit him.

Ryou looked over to his lover, who was a tan and blond spot on the white bed. The Egyptian was lying on his side, one arm tucked under his head, the other resting.

The Briton couldn't help but smile fondly at the sleeping prince. He looked so cute and defenseless when he was asleep.

Suddenly something stirred at the edge of the bed, causing Ryou's head to suddenly turn, his wide brown eyes alert for danger.

It was just Bakura. The Yami was yawning and stretching his slender yet strong body and muscles, also disturbed by the light. The pale yami's shifting caused the second yami to glare a few seconds, and then curl up to where his eyes were hidden.

Ryou smiled at them politely, and then looked back to Malik. But when Ryou's brown eyes fell on the tan Egyptian, lavender eyes were looking up at him.

"Finally wake up, fluff head?" Malik taunted, sitting up next to the Briton. Ryou blushed a little as he saw the blankets fall down to just below Malik's waistline, but the Egyptian didn't notice.

Ryou smiled at him gently, but remained silent. The Egyptian was looking at Bakura, who was looking back. The yami and the hikari's eyes were locked on each other, and for a moment Ryou thought Malik would chase him out of the house. But instead Malik edged forward and stroked Bakura's white hair, causing him to close his eyes and lay his head down on the bed, making the purring noise again.

Malik frowned a little, and then pulled away, back to Ryou's side.

"I'm sorry about yesterday."

Ryou turned to look at Malik, who was looking down at his lap. Then the Briton smiled gently, kissing his lover's cheek.

"Don't worry, Mal. I shouldn't have blurted out after you told me, anyway."

Malik remained silent, looking down even more.

"So you think it is your fault?"

Ryou sighed. He knew Malik would feel guilty no matter what he said now.

So the Briton simply put a comforting arm around the Egyptian's shoulder and changed the topic.

"Is it ok if Bakura and Yami Malik stay with us?"

Malik looked at the two yami's thoughtfully, and then finally sighed.

"Fine. But one damn toe towards a dagger and they're out."

Ryou gave a cry of happiness, and threw himself at Malik, chirping happily.

"I knew you had a heart, Mal!"

Malik simply rolled his eyes and pushed Ryou off of him.

"Yeah, yeah."

There was another stir at the end of the bed, causing both hikari's to look again. Bakura was stretching another time, then finally sat up and looked at them.

"What are you looking at?"

He frowned irritably, and then fell backwards onto the bed.

Malik glared at him.

"Be thankful I'm letting you stay."

Bakura's eyes turned to the angry Egyptian, but he said nothing.

Then the other Yami snarled, uncurling from his fetal position that he had curled up in an attempt to escape the light. Yami Malik stretched his legs, and then sat up next to Bakura. He gave the white haired tomb robber's ear a sharp tug and a small lick in greeting, and then turned to Malik silently, as though asking for an answer.

For a few seconds Ryou didn't think Malik would see the questioning hint in Yami Malik's eyes. But sure enough Malik did.

"I was just feeling generous today." His eyes met the psychotic maniac's levelly, until he leaned back with his hands under his head.

Bakura sighed lazily, crawling into Ryou's lap as the Briton reached down to stroke the white hair.

'Malik's fever must be better' Ryou thought, then leaned over onto the Egyptian's shoulder.

Malik lay his head on top of Ryou's, muttering under his breath as his own Yami crawled up onto his legs.

Before Ryou knew it, Malik had fallen asleep with his head on top of his own. The Briton slipped his head out from under the Egyptian's, causing the blond mass of hair to flop down on his shoulder uselessly. Ryou began to recount the previous day, all the way from waking up next to the sweating, sick Malik to the very… pleasurable end. But suddenly a question jumped into Ryou's mind.

"Yami? How did you know when Malik's birthday was?"

Bakura beat his head on Yami Malik's causing the other Yami to snarl and recoil away from him. Then his piercing, narrow brown eyes turned to Ryou's wide, soft ones.

"I had to put up with the bitch in the shadow realm when he caused us to lose a duel to his yami." He muttered, frowning. Yami Malik smirked triumphantly, and they began to snarl again. For a moment Ryou gulped nervously, hoping Malik hadn't heard that. But fortunately the Egyptian remained far into his sleep. Afterwards Ryou drifted back into his thoughts, and the two yamis stopped bickering and started licking and nuzzling each other.

Several questions answered, several to go. But this time the answers had a very undesirable effect. What would happen next time? Would the situation get worse? Ryou hoped not as he laid his head on Malik's shoulder, the two Yami's in his lap cuddling happily.

Yami Malik purred deeply, licking at Bakura's ear. Bakura simply tugged on the tanned lobe in response, and the two continued their antics for a few minutes as though they knew everything about each other. Ryou could only hope that one day he would know everything about Malik.

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